2012 Houston Cinema Arts Festival Crescendos into Final Day

I hope if you are reading my blog you are also looped into this year’s festival via the Houston Cinema Arts Society and its many partnering organizations that have been dispatching daily recommendations. I’m passing along some quick observations and personal highlights, and recommendations for the final day.

It was a singular experience to see Robert Redford at his Sundance Cinema in downtown Houston last night. Ernie Manouse from Houston PBS did a masterful job with questions that provoked answers full of humor, candor, and surprises. On the topic of the Sundance Cinemas arthouse chain, Mr. Redford articulated the vision of creating a sense of community by providing the most comfortable viewing experience and a place for people to eat, drink and discuss the movie afterwards. The joint is definitely bustling during the festival.

The Festival’s Cinema on the Verge is breathtaking in scope. This aspect of the event celebrates their mission to present screening events in traditional theatres as well as featuring the work of artists’ media-based work in gallery settings. You have one more day to see the diverse installations on view at their headquarters, the gallery building at 4411 Montrose. I plan to head to Aurora Picture Show tomorrow for the final day of Eve Sussman’s piece whiteonwhite:algorithmicnoir. Many are flocking to The Asia Society tonight for the 7 pm repeat performance of SuperEverything with The Light Surgeons, presented in collaboration with UH’s Mitchell Center for the Arts. And you have a bit more time to take in Question Bridge: Black Males at Project Rowhouses — it’s on view until early March.

After spending time with musician/filmmaker/philosopher Neil Cantwell in past days, I was eager to see the documentary KanZeOn that he travelled here from London to present. Majestic, spiritual and haunting, it was inspired by the years he spent in Japan studying ancient Buddhist rituals. This highly lyrical film contrasts traditional and modern music and sound performances (including a talented hip-hop priest). With no voiceover narration, each viewer is given the space to bring a personal interpretation to the film.

Also on the musical front, my longtime friends Amy Heller and Dennis Doros from Milestone Films present Shirley Clarke’s restored Ornette in America tonight, a documentary about the jazz musician Ornette Coleman. Tomorrow morning’s Meet the Makers panel at 11, moderated by Bart Weiss from the Dallas Video Festival, features an array of the festival’s guests whose films deal with music in various ways. Also on tomorrow is a film many colleagues have raved about, A Simple Life from Hong Kong, presented by its producer-writer Roger Lee at 1 pm at the MFAH. But wait, there’s more on screen at Sundance and Cinema 16 (at 4411 Montrose). Visit www.cinemartsociety.org for all the details.